Punish your people first before questioning Oppn: Sandeep Dikshit slams BJP over Murshidabad violence

New Delhi, April 18 (IANS) Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit on Friday hit out at the BJP for questioning the Opposition’s silence on the recent communal violence in West Bengal's Murshidabad, saying the ruling party should first take accountability for the unrest allegedly triggered by its own members.

Talking to IANS, Dikshit said, “It is repeatedly in the news that the BJP members were the ones who incited riots there. Two or three Hindus were found wearing Namazi caps and caused unrest, and some of these individuals were linked to the BJP and its organisations. If this whole violence was caused by them, then the BJP should punish them first. You must ensure justice by punishing them first, and still, they question why others are silent on the matter. BJP must speak first and apologise.”

Violence broke out on April 11 in the Dhulian area of Murshidabad district during protests against the Waqf Amendment Act, resulting in the deaths of three people and leaving several injured. The situation has drawn sharp political reactions.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on Wednesday, alleged that the violence was “pre-planned” and “orchestrated” by the BJP, along with the involvement of certain central agencies and even elements within the Border Security Forces (BSF).

In a related development, Dikshit also responded strongly to Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar’s remarks on the judiciary.

He said, “It is unfortunate that the Vice President may not have looked at the Constitution. Undoubtedly, the Vice President is himself a constitutional authority, but who is the specialist in law, the Supreme Court or the Vice President?”

He added, “The Constitution clearly states that if anyone feels a law contradicts the provisions or the spirit of the Constitution, they can approach the Supreme Court. And people have done so.”

Regarding the Supreme Court’s interim order on the Waqf Amendment Act, Dikshit said he would await the final verdict.

“Now, this is under the jurisdiction of the court, so we’ll see what happens. People have presented their views, and some discussions must have taken place, but I don’t have the details. The Supreme Court will examine the Act and the provisions that people have raised objections to. My hope is that the Supreme Court will decide based on what our Constitution says.”

--IANS

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